Maule M-5-235C N6201M

Summary

On 27 July 2023 at about 00:30 local time, a Maule M-5-235C registered N6201M was involved in an accident near Eastsound, Washington, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 July 2023 at 00:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Eastsound, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Orcas Island Airport (KORS)

Coordinates

48.6561, -122.9328

Aircraft

Maule M-5-235C

Registration

N6201M

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Eastsound → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR23LA285

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot’s improper in-flight fuel management, which led to fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On final approach, the engine sputtered, lost fuel pressure, then lost all power. With the total loss of power, the pilot initiated a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the airplane struck a fence and subsequently nosed over. The pilot reported that there were about 15 gallons of fuel on board before he departed on the first of two sightseeing flights and that the left tank had substantially more fuel than the right tank. When the airplane wreckage was recovered, about 10 gallons of fuel reportedly were drained. According to the airplane manufacturer, about 3 gallons of this fuel would have been unusable, and it is likely one of the fuel tanks was nearly empty. However, the investigation was unable to determine the actual fuel quantity in the airplane’s tanks because the pilot recovered and moved the airplane wreckage without oversight by federal officials. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot likely not managing the fuel on board properly, resulting in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.